A Comedy of Errors, a Tragedy of Fate

Did you notice a sign out in front of my house that said...

Masud: You’re… you’re black…
Immartus: Go on…
Masud: You have white hair…
Immartus: Do I look like a bitch?
Masud: What?
Immartus: [Stabs Masud in the shoulder] DO I LOOKLIKE A BITCH?
Masud: No!
Immartus: Then why you try to fuck me like a bitch?
Masud: I didn’t…
Immartus: Yes you did. Yes you did! You tried to fuck me. And Immartus Sondassa don’t like to be fucked by anybody except Mrs. Sondassa.

They thought that the hard part was over. They smuggled Munir El-Amin out of the government district and into hiding. The group couldn’t decide on what to do for their next steps, so Kitaryth “Kit” Orilaia felt that it was a good time to serve her god and the people of Al-Qahira. Leaving her friends behind, she struck out into the city on her own. Meanwhile, the rest of the group split up between searching out the local rebels and remaining behind for guard duty.

Kitaryth “Kit” Orilaia is dutifully serving the sick and lame of the city, then without warning the city guard marched up to the shrine and took her into custody. Not wanting to put anyone else at the shrine at risk, she went quietly and without a fight.

Hours go by and the party begins to get concerned. They leave the shelter of the safehouse and seek out Akram for answers. They learn that Kitaryth “Kit” Orilaia has been arrested for the murder of Munir El-Amin. They head to the palace where the hearing is to take place. They also learn that Aamir Ajam is scheduled to take the office of Vizier of Trade the following day.

At the palace they find Kitaryth “Kit” Orilaia in chains in front of the governor and a large crowd. An eyewitness comes forth to claim that she was found fleeing the scene of the murder. Without any evidence to the contrary she is sentenced to death. She is placed into the custody of her brother and ordered to return the next morning. While this is happening, a note is tied to the foot of the owl familiar to get word back to the safehouse. As the party is leaving to return to the safehouse, the owl returns. The note, untouched, is still tied to it’s leg. Concerned, they rush back to the safehouse.

They find Umara Jabari and Zilt unconcious of the warehouse when they arrive. The safehouse is empty. All of the slaves, including Munir El-Amin are gone. Masud had sold them out. Nejem Al-Amir had arrived to pick up his latest shipment of slaves. When he saw who was being hidden among the slaves, he made Masud an offer he couldn’t refuse.

The party decided they needed help finding Masud. The rebels they had encountered earlier could likely help, as they likely have eyes and ears throughout the city. The rebels were easily tracked into the slums to the Leering Dwarf, a most wretched hive of scum and villainy. After some persuasion, the leader of the rebels, Ameera Karimi, was able to be convinced that they shared a common enemy. They promised to keep an eye out for any of El Hajajj’s men. Ameera also had an idea where Masud could be found. Where do any men go when they come into money in the city? If they aren’t looking for drink, they are looking for…

Before long the party found themselves standing outside the Honey Pot, one of the more reputable of the city’s brothels. With the golden skill of persuasion, the madam led them upstairs to the room where Masud is doing his dirty work. They burst into the room in time to see him leaping out of the window carrying his pants with him. Women on the street scream and cover the eyes of their children.

They relentlessly chased him through the streets of Al-Qahira. Crashing through fruit stands and beggars, they ran down alleys and through random buildings. One of those buildings happened to be a temple of Chauntea, goddess of Purity. The priestesses shrieked in horror as the nude Masud ran through the sanctuary.

Masud nearly gave the party the slip after exiting the temple. Noticing the man hole cover askew, they followed Masud down into the sewers beneath the streets. Splashing through the filthy foul-smelling water they navigated the maze of tunnels, following the trail of wet footprints. They heard Masud let out a scream and turned a corner just in time to find him cornered by an Otyugh.

The Otyugh grabs one person after another, slamming them into the roof of the tunnel, before dropping them into the chunky brown water flowing along the floor. The Otyugh sinks its dagger like teeth into Kitaryth “Kit” Orilaia. Be either the force of her faith, or her iron constitution, she escaped contracting filth fever. They vanquished the foe and captured Masud.

Armed with the truth and a star witness, the party returned to the governor’s palace. They forced Masud to confess to the crime as it actually happened. They also provided a damning piece of evidence, Munir El-Amin’s signet ring of the office of the Vizier. Attempting to flee, Aamir Ajam was grabbed by the guards and forcibly dragged down into the dungeons below the palace to await a trial of his own.

One problem still remained. Munir El-Amin is still missing and in the hands of El Hajjaj. Appealing to his vanity and thirst for political gain, the party was able to convince governor Brutus Amlethus to send an army after El Hajjaj. Now it’s time to rescue their friend, and time for a little payback.

We've All Had Weekends Like This

Any plan involving chicken blood, a drunk, and riderless wagon has to work. It just has to.

Menir stumbled home from the Golden Rose, reeking of wine and something else that might have been garlic. While the cleric, the wizard, and barbarian hid inside his home, the rogue, the bard, and the warlock guarded the wagon. It was a fool proof plan. The wagon, loaded down with bolts of various fabrics, along with random crates and barrels from a recently robbed warehouse, provided a convincing disguise. They were a group of 6 interior decorators leaving the Palace District after helping Amir with some “remodeling”. Surely the guards at the gate wouldn’t notice the body of the Vizier of Trade hidden among the goods in the wagon.
Stumbling into his darkened home, Munir El-Amin was not surprised to find himself tripping over furniture and bumping into walls. What he didn’t expect was coming face to face with a large female barbarian in his kitchen. In a flail of drunken kung-fu, Munir El-Amin lunged at the intruder letting out a fierce battle cry…or it might have been the hiccups. Fearing the attention the noise would bring, Munir El-Amin was quickly subdued and knocked unconscious. His limp body was then unceremoniously wrapped up like a Mulan burrito and loaded onto the back of the cart.
Rolling up to the gate, the Drow addressed the guards. While the official seal of Aamir Ajam may have been enough to satiate their concerns, it did little to satisfy their curiosity. The began to poke around in the crates, barrels, and bolts of cloth. By sheer dumb luck, or perhaps because this “wasn’t the vizier they were looking for”, the guards waved the party through into the night. However, they weren’t more than half way through the market district before they heard the repeated clang of alarm bells ringing behind them.
Knowing that they needed to ditch that which made them identifiable, the decision was made to split up, and separate the vizier from the wagon. The women took Munir El-Amin through town, headed straight for the safe house. Meanwhile, the rest of the party attempted to ditch the wagon in the slums, knowing it would be picked clean. Unfortunately, the increasingly loud hoof beats told them that they didn’t have much time. Without a second thought, they hopped off the wagon, smacked the ass on the, um, ass, and the cart was off down the street. It careened down the road, bouncing off merchant stalls and popping up on two wheels as it disappeared around a corner.
Meanwhile, Kitaryth “Kit” Orilaia and Umara have attracted the attention of a couple of drunk and frisky half-orcs. One half-orc in particular takes a shine to Umara. Not wanting to start a fight with an unconscious Vizier on her back, she bites her tongue and tries to brush past the obnoxious cat calls. Not relenting, the half-orc pursues Umara only to be cut off by Kitaryth “Kit” Orilaia. Kitaryth “Kit” Orilaia convinces the half-orc that sleeping with Umara may not be the best thing for his health, and any future sex-life he hopes to have. As sharp as a cannon ball, he eventually gets what Kit is trying to say, and abruptly turns his attention to her. Short on patience, he quickly escalates the situation with the tiefling cleric. Physically overpowered, Kitaryth “Kit” Orilaia must rely on her wits and her faith. With her last prayer, she calms the torrent of emotion that the half-orc is feeling at the moment. The half-orc quickly goes from burning with the heat of a newly forged sword, to the heat of a day old bowl of fish stew.
The party then rejoins in time to see a very confused and unsatisfied half-orc wander off down the road. At that moment, Umara’s oddly shaped backpack begins to kick and thrash as he starts to come to. Zilt quickly charms him in order to settle him down and explain the plan. Munir El-Amin then began to enjoy his position on Umara’s back a little too much.
Turning down the last alleyway before the safe house, the hairs on the back of their collective neck begin to stand up. A pair of figures close in on them from in front and behind them in the alley. The shadowy figures offer a simple solution, drop all of your valuables, and you are free to walk away. These bandits clearly didn’t know who they had just picked a fight with. The party made short and messy work of the brigands, who were little more than slum dwellers with short swords.
One of the bandits appeared to have an unexpected agenda. With his dying breath, he thrust a coin purse into the hand of Immartus Sondassa and asked him to give it to the poor of Al-Qahira. As the last remaining bandit made her escape, he tossed her the coin purse and told her to keep it. The frantic woman’s expression contorted from fear into confusion. After hesitating a moment, she sprinted down the street disappeared down an alley.
As they walk up to the darkened warehouse, Masud, the warlock’s contact emerges from the shadows. He welcomes the group to their home away from home. Winding through stacks of crates, he walks up to a blank wall at the back of the warehouse. Sliding the wall aside, he reveals a hidden room where illegal and stolen merchandise is hidden. The warm humid night air gives way to an overwhelming stench. The room reeks of urine, feces, and men who haven’t bathed in weeks. On the floor of the room men in rags crouch in groups of four, chained to heavy iron rings that have been driven into the floor. “The Imperium won’t find him here. Nobody will.”Munir El-Amin flies into a rage. “You’ve brought me here?!? To the den of a slaver!?!”

The adventure log is where you list the sessions and adventures your party has been on, but for now, we suggest doing a very light “story so far” post. Just give a brief overview of what the party has done up to this point. After each future session, create a new post detailing that night’s adventures.

One final tip: Don’t stress about making your Obsidian Portal campaign look perfect. Instead, just make it work for you and your group. If everyone is having fun, then you’re using Obsidian Portal exactly as it was designed, even if your adventure log isn’t always up to date or your characters don’t all have portrait pictures.